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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. track — to keep track
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — farmland
  7. ground — the earth
  8. field — for sport
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ground — a position
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. race — a contest
  13. ground — crushed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bore — to tire
  17. race — humankind
  18. track — a song
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. root — of a word
  21. track — a path
  22. root — the cause
  23. field — a subject
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com